To Reach for the Moon
by TheShatteredRose
Summary: He was like the moon; beautiful and bright, always there to brighten the darkest of nights and completely out of reach. Renji didn’t stand a chance. But what if Captain Ukitake wasn’t as unreachable as he first thought? :RenUki:


**Title: **To Reach for the Moon

**Summary:** He was like the moon; beautiful and bright, always there to brighten the darkest of nights and completely out of reach. Renji didn't stand a chance. But what if Captain Ukitake wasn't as unreachable as he first thought?

**Pairings:** RenUki :3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of the Bleach series, especially not these absolutely gorgeous characters.

**Warnings:** A bit of Shounen-ai and Ukitake worshipping, of course.

**AN: **This was kinda spawned from my previous oneshot, but has absolutely nothing to do with it and is completely different. Did that make sense to anyone? Yeah?

Enjoy!

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Renji wasn't the type to sit and just observe, especially from a distance that didn't involve some sort of battle or a struggle going on in front of him. He knew that he wasn't, everyone who was familiar with him knew he wasn't.

So, why was the heavily tattooed redhead sitting on the roof top of some random building that was overlooking a stream, watching a certain white haired Captain relish in the silence of the scenery under the full moon?

Why? Simple; he was rather infatuated with the gentle captain of Division Thirteen.

He wasn't the only one, he was sure. He wasn't the first and he most certainly won't be the last reaper who had been caught in the natural charm of the one and only Captain Ukitake. His grace, his patience, his relentless support, his unwavering want to help as many as he could was unmatched by any alive today or from days passed.

He was a very unique captain, that was certain.

One would have to be utterly blind not to see how popular Captain Ukitake was with his peers and Renji knew why. But what he didn't know was how or why his respect and admiration for Captain shifted into something far less appropriate.

Was it because Rukia would speak of her captain so fondly in a way she had never done before? Or that Ichigo was more than willing to go out of his way to speak with Captain Ukitake, showing him great respect, something he rarely did for the other captains? Or maybe it was the fact that Captain Ukitake actually allowed _him_ the chance to speak freely, to say what was really on his mind and allowed him the opportunity to just be himself without fear of being reprimanded for his lack of professionalism.

It might because Captain Ukitake showered those around him with small, delicious gifts or sincere words of praise. Or the fact that he would actually listen carefully, intently to what you had to say, no matter the significance.

There were a lot of reasons to fall for the thirteenth Captain so it was hard to explain, even harder to list all those who value him greatly.

Renji knows that his Captain appreciates Captain Ukitake's mother affections, though he'd rather cut out his own tongue than to say it out loud.

He could still remember a time when he witnessed how much his Captain had grown accustomed to Captain Ukitake's sudden bouts of flamboyant attention. He was accompanying his captain through the streets of the Seireitei, a path that usually crosses with other fellow captain and well known reapers, Captain Ukitake in particular when he was having a good day. It was always so nice to bump into Captain Ukitake in the streets, his positive attitude and friendliness enlightening your own spirit.

This one day, though, Captain Ukitake brushed past Byakuya without uttering a word; he didn't even make eye contact or nodded his head in acknowledgement when he was in a hurry. He said and did nothing, which caused Byakuya, as well as Renji himself, to freeze still in their tracks and watch the surprisingly cold captain brush by.

His blatant out-of-character-ness prompted Captain Byakuya to call out his name abruptly, unable to hide a light sense of concern from his voice.

Upon hearing his name, Ukitake snapped his head up and looked around at his surroundings in a rather dazed manner, seemingly just wrenched out of deep thought. He turned around, blinked a few times and then abruptly threw his arms around Captain Byakuya's neck in an overly enthusiastic hug, apologizing for being lost in thought and for not seeing him.

And Captain Byakuya, for his part, allowed his former sensei to cling onto him for a moment, a very tiny sense of relief in his otherwise cool gaze before his disentangled the older captain from his person. He then gave him a cold response of not worrying about it before turning around swiftly, with an air of noble arrogance before continuing his way down the street, Renji close behind.

But Renji did manage to share a look with Captain Ukitake, the older man's eyes sparkling with a sense of mischievous warmth, winking playfully at him before continuing his own way. He always did know just how to get under Captain Byakuya's skin and he would also do it in such a way that wasn't overly annoying or blatant.

From Renji's point of view, it was actually rather amusing to see his Captain get miffed that Captain Ukitake had supposedly ignored him. Or, it would have been if his stomach didn't suddenly clench from jealousy.

He knew it was stupid, but sometimes, watching Captain Ukitake interact with his Captain made him green with envy. His jealousy was useless and unwarranted; as if he, a no good brute with a thuggish attitude and coarse way of speaking could every even come close to gaining the affection of some as saintly as Captain Ukitake.

Despite his friendly, outgoing personality that drew you in, he always seemed to be just out of reach. He was a captain, reputably one of the strongest, most respected and greatly worshipped by his Division.

Just how do you approach someone like Captain Ukitake?

Probably with great caution if you don't want to get on Division 13's bad side.

So that was why he was here, on this rooftop, observing with almost stalkerish like obsession at everyone's favourite Captain. And watching Captain Ukitake being bathed in the moonlight just enhances the fact of how utterly out-of-reach he was.

The moonlight seemed to shimmer in his hair as the strands danced in the night breeze, glittering like the very stars above, his elegant and lithe hands stayed by his sides in a relaxed manner, making no attempt to control his wayward locks, because, let's face it, he looked perfect with his hair floating majestically around him in the wind.

He then turned his head slightly, as if peering over his shoulder in a way that would make a super model jealous, the shorter stands of his fringe swaying and dancing, covering his eyes, hiding them rather alluringly from view. But what Renji could see was that his cheeks held a warming sense of life to them, indicating to him that Captain Ukitake was having one of his good days, momentarily free from illness.

It was quite heart-warming to witness Captain Ukitake on one of his good days; he was always so vibrant and full of enthusiasm on those days. Almost made you forget the days where he's holed up in bed for days on end, struggling to breathe.

"He's just like the moon," Renji murmured to himself, desperately wanting a bottle of Sake to sulk with. "Beautiful and bright, but completely out of reach."

Suddenly, through the parted strands Captain Ukitake turned just enough to wink at him before quickly looking away, standing as tall and graceful as ever.

Renji almost fell of the roof and onto the ground in a degrading and twitching heap. And would have if he hadn't made an undignified squawk and latch onto the guttering with his fingertips before dropping unceremoniously to the ground, his heart beating at over a hundred beats per minute.

Did that really just happen?

"C-captain Ukitake?"

Ukitake slowly turned around to face him, his left right eye hidden behind his hair as confusion shimmered in the other. A short moment of silence soon passed before he seemed to perk up, a warm and large smile on his lips.

"Renji-kun!" He said as he approached, only to stumble for a moment and fall against him, his arms wrapping around his neck in a somewhat awkward hug. Renji instinctively wrapped his arms around his elder, both stunned and confused, yet not totally uncomfortable as Captain Ukitake had a habit of hugging people when he was in a really good mood.

"Oops, sorry, I'm a bit giddy, you see," Ukitake explained as he laughed lightly, almost airily and pushed away. But he kept his hands on his shoulders nonetheless while Renji's own arms hovered awkwardly near him, slightly disorientated. "Shunsui made me taste his newest sake, which is really quite strong. I didn't want to try it as I'm not a fan of Sake, but I did have one cup. That man knows I'm a lightweight, but he just won't take no for an answer."

"Oh," Renji simply murmured in a mild sense of bewilderment, noting that there was in fact a very light scent of Sake on the captain's breath, which would also explain the flush glow to his cheeks. He then noticed something else, during his explanation, Captain Ukitake seemed to have one eye shut, the wind from previous picking up again to play with the snowy tresses.

That was the very same eye he had winked at him with...wait...

"Uh, what's wrong with your eye?" he quickly asked in concern, leaning forward in a way that was sure to invade Captain Ukitake's personal space.

"Oh," Ukitake said as he removed a hand from his shoulder to push his hair to the side, revealing his eye that seemed to be clamped shut, salty tears lining the lashes. "I've got a bit of glitter in it."

Renji found himself deadpanning at the answer. "Er, glitter?"

"It's all over the place," Ukitake explained as he grabbed a handful of his hair and shook it slightly. And sure enough, little sparkling confetti floated slowly to the ground like fairy dust immediately followed.

They looked like tiny stars, reflecting off the moonlight...wait...

"It's in my hair, on my clothes, and as you can see, in my eye," Ukitake carried on saying, his smile never fading. "Yachiru decided I would look pretty in sparkles."

Peering a little bit closer, Renji noticed that there was indeed a light layer of glittering adorning the shoulders of his haori and he couldn't help it; he had a small chuckle. He could just imagine the vice-captain of Division Eleven throwing glitter about like it was some sort of magical substance. "I can imagine that kid doing that."

And here he thought that Captain Ukitake's hair was naturally shiny.

"Are you laughing at me, Renji-kun?"

Renji swiftly remembered that he was speaking with a Captain and not one of his rough around the edges drinking buddies. "Ah, no!"

"Yes, you were," Captain Ukitake accused, playfully flicking him on the nose as he smiled. "That's ok; I guess this is rather humorous."

Renji couldn't help but smile back, feeling greatly at ease. Captain Ukitake could make even the highest strung individual feel peaceful and content.

But then, he suddenly pouted rather cutely, yet crossly and moved to rub at his eye. "If my eye wasn't so annoying, that is."

"Captain Ukitake-?"

"Oh, there's no need to be so formal, Renji-kun," Captain Ukitake interrupted him with an elegant wave of his hand. "Call me Juushiro, please."

"Ah, sure..." Renji said rather awkwardly before adding, "Juushiro."

Juushiro immediately approved happily. "Much better."

Renji nodded. Though he was comfortable in Captain Juushiro's presence, he was also feeling greatly nervous. Should he reveal to the older man his fondness for him? Or live in denial? Then again, he always hated keeping things bottled up; he had to get it out of his system one way or another.

"Jyushiro, I..." Yeah, he paused, but he didn't chicken out! Honestly! It was hard to make a confession when the one you are confessing to is busy rubbing his eye, annoyance plastered across his features in a rather adorable fashion.

"Here," Renji suddenly said as he grasped the Captain by his elbow and lead him to sit down, he standing in front of him. "Let me help you get that glitter out of your eye."

"Oh, thank you," Juushiro said as he plonked himself down onto the bench Renji walked him to. "I must look a sight."

Renji had to bite back a smirk at those words. Sure, he wasn't the pinnacle of perfection at this very moment; slightly giddy, covered in glitter and complaining about something in his eye. Regardless, Renji believe he looked amazing, more real, more...reachable.

"You look fine," Renji reassured with a snigger before a look of determined concentration marred his features, carefully framing Juushiro's face with his hands. "Now, keep still, this is a very delicate procedure."

Juushiro readily complied, sitting perfectly still, trusting him immensely, which made Renji feel a sense of importance. Slowly, he titled Juushiro's head back so he could get a good look of his eye, his fingertips brushing against the soft skin of his cheek and jaw when he pushed the white strands of his hair behind his ear.

Then, with a gentleness that no one would through possible from a ruffian like him, he examined Captain Juushiro's warm chocolate eye, locating the tiny piece of glitter and brushing it away with his thumb, taking the salty tears from the irritation as he did so.

"There!" He announced in triumph as he removed his hands and took a step back, smiling broadly. "Got it."

"That was quite amazing, Renji-kun," Juushiro complimented as he blinked his eye a few times in rapid concession, his hand hovering in front of his eye. "How did you know the best way to do that?"

"Ah, well, Rukia used to get lashes or dust in her eyes a lot, so of course, it was my fault somehow and I had to fix it," Renji explained as he scratched the back of his head, wincing just a little from the memories of Rukia whining and complaining about something in her eye and to get it out right out, all the while belting him with her fists.

"I see," Juushiro said as he chuckled, climbing slowly to his feet. He then turned to face Renji completely, a small smile of understanding and gratitude on his lips. "She was very lucky to have found someone like you."

"Heh, you think so?"

"Of course," Juushiro replied readily and sincerely.

Renji wasn't able to hold back any longer. There was just something about the way the full moon reflected off the glitter in his hair, not to mention the way his eyes seemed to shimmer at him. He wasn't looking at him like a Captain to a lower ranked Reaper, but as someone who was his equal, someone who seemed like a regular person.

In was in that breathless moment that Renji moved forward and pressed his lips against Juushiro's, his arms effortlessly wounding around him, pulling the thankfully unresisting older man against him tightly.

When Juushiro made no attempt to push him away, made no attempt to resist, Renji boldly tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, deepening the kiss. His arms unconsciously pressed Juushiro closer when he began to kiss back, parting his lips on an appreciative sigh, tilting his own head to accommodate the growing passion. With a deep throated groan, Renji slipped his tongue past Juushiro's lips, intensifying the kiss considerably, Juushiro welcoming him with a tentative flick of his tongue, giving him the chance, the ability to dominate this kiss.

As if he needed any persuading.

There was something utterly extraordinary about a powerful and talented captain melting in your embrace.

With one arm around his waist in an unrelenting grip and his hand buried within his long locks, Renji poured everything he felt for the admirable man in this embrace. His lips moved hungrily against his, his tongue searching and caressing every corner of his mouth, his arms supporting the slender older man effortlessly.

He was never good with words, always somehow saying the wrong thing or something else entirely, but actions he was good at. He was damn good at.

Breaking the kiss, Renji pulled back only to have Juushiro grasp onto his shoulder as he took a moment to compose himself, breathing deeply and appearing slightly dishevelled.

"It's good to see that you've finally stopped watching," Juushiro said after a moment, still sounding alluringly breathless.

Renji stiffened, staring at the man still standing willingly in his arms. "You knew?"

"Of course as I've been watching you too," Juushiro admitted with a small, gentle smile before quickly widening it and wrapping his arms around his neck, pressing their bodies tightly together again. "Now, what do you say to making up for missed opportunities?"

First, Renji simply blinked before a sly smirk slipped across his lips. "Sounds good," he said as he wrapped both arms around his waist.

"Yeah?" Juushiro murmured as he brushed his nose against his.

"Yeah," Renji said huskily before promptly pulling Juushiro in for another passionate kiss.

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Yay, finished. I've always wanted to try my hand at a crack pairing. Though, IchUki is probably considered crack, but RenUki is really crackish, right? I hope you'll review!


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